Saturday 1 December 2012

Filling the Oven ... One Way To keep Warm...


Hello there...
thought it was time I checked in ....everyone okay?

Just a bit of everyday doings... maybe a bit boring ... a bit bland ... but hey! this is my life ... its not all Sex In The City ... or even Eastenders .... 
We live a steady, quiet ...and contented life.

So yesterday ... the promise of a lamb hotpot kept Hubby P going all day...I like to cook a hotpot long and slow so I started in the morning.
We can't run (cannot afford to buy) to lamb chops for a hotpot all the time ...they are such a price. So I use half a pound of minced lamb ... browned in the frying pan ... it gives the hotpot a somewhat authentic lamb-y taste. 


 I fry it up with a bit of onion and here I have added a couple of spoonfuls of cooked rice ....left over from the previous evenings meal....it bulks out the mince well.



 Just look at this gorgeous veg ... wonderful vibrant colours.
I layered it all with the mince and sliced potatoes...sprinkled an odd oxo and some good old Welsh water ...and put it in the oven.

Now even the best of hotpots doesn't justify the oven being on for hours ... simply for it alone.
So ... looking in the fridge and baking cupboard ...it looked a lot like cakes. 



I lined a few cake tins ....in a rough and ready manner ...no frills here I'm afraid.
And set to....it doesn't take long ...just knocking up a few simple cakes .. I used what was to hand.
I made a coconut sponge, lemon sponge (yes .. still a lemon or two lurking about) and a chocolate marble sponge.
Nothing flash ... quick and easy... used the weight of eggs method.
That is ...weigh your eggs (or as I do put them on the side of your scale where normally you would put your weights)...then use equal amounts of sugar, butter and flour ...a basic sponge mix ...add whatever flavourings ...and bung in a tin.   



 I put a bit of lemon icing on the lemon cake and jam and coconut on the coconut....left the chocolate mable cake as it was ...choccy speaks for itself.

Of course this is a lot of cake for one household.... so I found some
odd/mismatched saucers ...gave them a good hot wash ... and plated up the cake.
I covered them well in cling film and took them to the boot sale today....everyone likes a bit of homemade cake.

And it raised a few pennies ....paid for me having the oven on and a delicious hotpot. 
 
 

A pound to a penny some of the old dears will wash and return my old saucers ...it was what they were brought up to do ...anyone else remember collecting pop bottles to 'cash in' ...and get a few pennies back
I remember too.. when my Grandparents had a Fish and Chip shop ...the local ladies would bring in their own plates and bowls for their fish dinners or whatever it was they fancied....and leave them to be filled .... Gran knew everyones household china ..
how things have changed.

Perhaps companies should bring back that deposit scheme ... I'm sure it would work, they have a similar scheme in other countries I think ... it must be an incentive to recycle.

What do you think ...would people do it these days ...does money back make a difference?

xx  



15 comments:

  1. Oh those cakes do look good.

    Lamb is a shocking price here in New Zealand as well. Many years ago it was so cheap we used to buy it by the side and freeze it. Nowadays I think twice before buying it.

    I mainly use mince. Must try lamb mince like you in a hotpot.

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  2. I grew up with the money back idea, and I would welcome this scheme any day. Back to sensible ways, I`d say! Your cakes look so delicious, my stomache is now rumbling.

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  3. Your cakes looks yummy. I like the idea of taking your own plates to the chippy to be filled and yes, agree that companies should have depositable bottles, jars etc - it would certianly cut down on landfill.

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  4. oh my gosh what an amazing post, I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this, post, although we are miles apart we could be sisters, lol, I would have done the very same thing! Made the same meal and the same cakes, looked in my cupboard to see what I had not march down to the store to buy fancy stuff to make elaborate recipes, this post rang so true to me, thank you for sharing,

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  5. I don't think your life's boring at all ... steady, quiet and contented is what I strive for!

    The cakes look lovely, I try to fill my oven too ... but often I come home and find that a teenager has put a frozen something in the oven alone (the big oven, I might add) for 45 minutes ... grrr!!!

    Love the fact that people bring your plates back ... I remember looking for pop bottles for a bit of extra pocket money ... no talk of recycling in those days, it was just the way of life! Who thought the disposable theory was a good way to live ... another grrr!!

    Hope you have a lovely Sunday

    Claire xxx

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  6. you are very like us, no TV makes for a very peaceful life.
    Yes if their was a "deposit" I think kids would collect the discarded bottles we see thrown in hedges and parks.

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  7. Kitchen pottering days are my favourite kind of days,slow and contented.Everything looks delicious.

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  8. OK- dumb American question! How many eggs do you use per cake and I assume you weigh them WITHOUT the shells???
    I used to collect and return bottles for $$ when I was little...I wish we still had it in our state here..would be a bit less rubbish around...

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  9. Love a good lamb hotpot!
    Always reminds me of winter at home when i was a child. The one thing I would really look forward to was the 'juice' to dip some crusty home-made bread into! You never knew what veg where in it until it arrived on your plate!
    Your cakes look yummy too!
    Love the idea of re-cycling and deposit on plates etc.

    I bet Hubby enjoyed his 'pot!

    Sandie xxx

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  10. That's my kind of baking - the bung it in method. All look delish. We don't have lamb very often as it's so expensive. I do like a long cooked hot pot.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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  11. My kind of baking and cooking. I remember taking back the empty pop bottles and I could keep the money, I usually spent it on a mix up - normally lots of Mojos in it as they were 4 for a penny ;)
    Twiggy x
    PS I love your idea of selling cake on your little plates.

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  12. It all looks so yummy and I can imagine wonderful tasting.
    I love the idea of bringing in your own plates for take-out fish and chips. Nowadays its packed up in yucky foam cartons.
    Have a great week.
    Susan

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  13. My boss didn't believe me when I said we used to take our own plates to the chippy when we were little! Glad to hear someone else mention it. LOL.

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  14. I love reading your blog and can identify with many of your thrifty ways. I think people would welcome money back on bottles, eg you very rarely see a supermarket trolley with a £1 coin in it that someone forget or couldnt be bothered to return to its rightful place, do you? Kind regards.

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